Day 2,3 of Spain... in the countryside

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Only after less than 9 hours of meeting my spanish host family: the "Camara's". After finally meeting the family I've been in contact with for the 2 months through email and one skype call from over the Atlantic Ocean, we immediately leave the new city of Santander for the countryside.

Our destination was the northern spanish countryside. In particular Llerana, Saro, Cantabria. Carlos has a family reunion in this beautiful small village. Immediately I'm estatic about seeing some of the Spanish countryside, but a little nervous on a family reunion. Knowing ahead of time that Carlos's family is quite large in size, I was a little intimidated due to the prior knowledge that Spaniards are loud and close knit families... However, the trip was great!

We stayed in this amazingly beautiful hotel Casona D Llerana. The hotel is a mansion that once belonged to Antonio de Obregon Alcocer, Conde de la Valenciana and Knight of Carlos III. Which amassed a great fortune in Mexico with operating a silver mine, "La Valenciana", which gives its name to this impressive building.

Carlos and Natalia were very hospitable. They got me my own room, which was very nice and i met carlos's family. It is a very large family of 20 not including me. They were all very nice and welcoming and even a few of the teenagers spoke english. I was extremely lucky for one of Carlos's niece's is also 20 and speaks english very well, so she helped me out a lot this weekend explaining the menu's at restaurants and occasionally explaining to me some of the spanish conversation that was happening and also asking about me and Canada.

It was a little intense seeing that Spaniards are very loud and there was 20 of them all in the same room always talking but i have learned just to not care. I can usually get a little idea of what the subject is that they are talking about but can't follow. Thats to be expected though, seeing as my spanish is little, but a fair amount of the family can speak an average level of english. While we were there we spent saturday lounging at the pool swimming and reading, then for a walk along a hiking trail and then a late supper of 8 different tapas. I have tried everything Natalia and Carlos offer as their mediterrian diet is quite different. So i got my first taste of anchovies, cured ham, a deep-fried crab ball, different spiced meats. On sunday we had a nice breakfast and walked to the church in the village which was a holiday of a virgin here. So it was a big production, pretty cool to see. All the kids and grandparents went but no one else. Then we had lunch in a different village before heading home for siesta

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Photos

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out for a walk in the area

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a beautful sunny day for a walk

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an abandoned old house that has a water mill

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Keiko chasing a rooster